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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
there is heavy people flow one of such venues? Can we exhibit our collections at such venues for the public appreciation so that members of the area do not need to visit museums?
Secondly, from the last part of the reply document, we know that apart from exhibiting at suitable venues in Hong Kong, we organize roving exhibition outside Hong Kong too. I have some queries about this. Does it mean items of our collection may be exhibited outside Hong Kong before Hong Kong people have the chance to see them? I think the public here should at least have the chance to see the items first, otherwise, I would call the $1 billion market value not well spent.
There is one more point which I do not understand. I see from the second half of part (a) of the reply document that our collection falls into 4 major categories: of Archaeology, Ethnology, Local and Natural History. What are included in the categories?
THE HON. MOK YING-FAN (in Cantonese):-Thank you, Mr. WONG, for your three follow-up questions. Concerning the first one, viz suitable venues. As Mr. WONG already mentioned, they are mainly public venues of the Hong Kong Government with heavy people flow. The new airport's passenger terminal and the Convention and Exhibition Centres are two examples. The management companies of these two venues have begun negotiations with the Urban Council to exhibit our collection items on a loan basis. Liaison work is being handled by the Department. Of course, when other suitable venues are identified in future, the Council will consider other loan-outs so as not to lay our collection items idle.
Mr. WONG's second question concerns roving exhibitions. In September this year, items of our collection will be exhibited in the Beijing Museum of Art. This is a new venture of the Museums Select Committee and through this promotion activity, we hope to introduce Hong Kong art to the world (including Mainland China).
As for Mr. Wong's third question, I offer some additional information. In the Archaeology category, we have burial items from the Li Cheng Uk Tomb and the collections of two priests. In the Ethnology category, we have clothes and ornaments, fishing tools, farming tools, puppets, models of fishing junks etc. either donated by members of the public or acquired by the Urban Council. As for items of the Local History category, there are coins, stamps, photographs, transport vehicles. You would not forget the railway carriage exhibited at the open space opposite the Science Museum. That is a donation by the KCR Corporation. As for items of the Natural History category, samples of them include rock pieces, butterflies, insects, shells etc.
MR. SAN STEPHEN WONG HON-CHING (in Cantonese):-I want to follow up further on roving exhibitions. Will the Council consider exhibiting items of our